Dear Kempshott Residents,

We have been lucky over the last few months in Kempshott as things have been relatively quiet.

However in the last few weeks there have five house burglaries in the Bird estate. These burglaries are being reported at different times of the day so as yet  there seems no set pattern (MO) to the break ins. During an attempt at one address the burglars were disturbed and ran away.

They were reported to be two white males late teens to early twenties wearing hooded tops. There are no further descriptions at this time but a number of diligent residents have been reporting suspicious people in the area. This has helped in identifying possible time scales for the burglaries and in doing so targeted patrols are being carried out.

Although these burglaries have taken place in the Bird estate I need all of you to be on the look out for anything out of the ordinary and if you see anybody acting suspiciously then please call the police to report them at the time, this way we will have a better chance of apprehending the offenders. Also even though the description lists the two males possible appearance I would urge you all to report any suspicious people in the area not just those fitting certain descriptions so as not to narrow the search and miss potential leads of investigation.

Here are some tips that you might like to make use of in order to help prevent yourself becoming a victim of this type of crime.

Ask yourself the following questions:

Is the rear of your property secure, if you have a side gate is it kept locked shut?

Have you considered security lights particularly at this time of the year?

If you have shed in your garden, is it locked and in particular make sure that there are no tools lying around the garden that people could use to get into your homes.

The majority of persons who commit this type of crime are opportunists and if you present them with an easy target they will take it. Let’s not give them that chance. Do not leave valuables on display in your house i.e., handbags or wallets on the window ledge or on the kitchen table in plain sight of the windows as this is an easy target If you go out during the day and wont be back until late in the evening think about light timers to switch you lights on for you.

Most of all please don’t be worried about calling the police; if you think someone is acting suspiciously your call will be taken seriously and acted upon.

If you would like any further advice on how to prevent becoming a victim of crime please feel free to give me a call or drop me an email. My team and I would be happy to come round and visit you and provide crime prevention advice specific to where you live or answer any questions you have by phone or email.

If you have any information with regard to the burglaries and you would like to remain anonymous then you can always make contact with crime stoppers.

From a police aspect our regular patrols of Kempshott will be increased and will include both high visibility and covert (plain clothes) so we will be out there looking out for you even more than we already do.

Take care and remember my tips,

Pc Loraine Stockham and the Beat team

Contact details in the Kourier